Process of actuating hydrostatic presses



(N0 Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

y J. H. VAILB. PBOGESS 0F ACTUATING HYDROSTATI PRESSES.

Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

(No Model.) 2` Sheets-Sheet 2..

J. H. VAILB. PROCESS `0F AGTUATING HYDROSTATIG PRESSES. No. 416,020. Patented Nov. Z6, 1889.Y

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E f 3 Q @ji w g e E m E Z 7] I a l IHHIHIHH I Q Q Y @SWS e"Illl' PETERS. -PMXvl-Rmgnphdr. Washington. DI C.

UNITED p STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. VAILE, OF DAY'lON, OHIO.

PROCESS OF ACTUATING HYDROSTATIC PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of yLetters Patent No. 416,020, dated November 26, 1889. Application tiled December 24:, 1888. Renewed November 2, 1889. Serial No. 328,981. (No model.)

To all whom t 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN ll. VAILE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State ot' Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process of Actuating Hydrostatic Pressespf which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to all classes ot' presses wherein a liquid is used to exert the pressure and, as coming primarily within the object of myinvention, it relates to hydrostatic presses for compressing substances of a Very soft or plastic nature-such as lard, paraftine, and the likeand more particularly for expressing` oil from meal, seeds, or other oleaginous substances.

It has for its object an improved process ot actuating such presses, in which the press is at iirst supplied with a rapid but decreasing pressure, then with a slow and gradually-increasing pressure, both of said pressures coming from a low-pressure source, and, iinally, with a maximum pressure from an independent high-pressure source, all for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully explained.

My improved process is independent of any particular apparatus for carrying it out, and

' the latter may be varied without departing from my invention.

In the accompanying drawingslhave il1ustrated one form and arrangement of apparatus suitable for the purpose, :in which drawings- Figure l, Sheet l, is an elevation, partlyin section, of so much of the apparatus as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2, Sheet 1,is a modified form of the variable accumulator embodied in the apparatus shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is an enlarged sectional elevation ot' the valve mechanism embodied in the construction shown in Fig. l.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

In the apparatus illustrated in the drawings, Aand B are two pumpsin this instance steam-pumps-ot` the usual or any suitable construction, pumping from a supplytank C, containing the liquid-usually oil-for actuating the press.

D is the cylinder of a hydrostatic press, of the usual or any suitable construction, and E its piston,to which the press-platen (not here shown) is secured. r

F is a strong air-tight vessel, which I designate a variable accumulator,7 and into which the pump B pumps through a pipe G, provided with a check or other valve a. A pipe l) b connects the accumulator F with the press-cylinder, and in this pipe is interposed th'e valve mechanism shown enlarged in Fig. 3 where ll is a casing having at one side an inlet-port c, into which the pipe l) from the accumulator enters, and an outlet-port d at the other side, with which the branch of the pipe Z) between the press and valve connects. Any suitable checkwalve c is seated in and controls a passage f between the ports c and (l. Any suitable valve g controls the port c to open and close it, and in this instance the valve is operated by a gear-wheel h, with a square bore loose ou the squared upper end of the valve-stein and meshing with a similar gear-wheel t' upon a valve j, which controls a supplemental port 7e. The valve j is provided with a crank Z, and by this arrange-- ment whenever the valve g is opened the Valve j is closed, and vice versa. The port 7c communicates with a discharge-pipe m, leading back to the supply-tank C.

Upon the top of the easing ll are two uprights l, having at their upper ends a crosshead J, in which is guided the upper end ot' a plunger-cylinder K, whose lower end is fitted over and packed upon a nozzle n, having an opening through it communicating with the port 7;. 'lhelower flanged end of the plunger has secured to it a valve-stem o, passed with proper packing down into the casing ll-in this instance through the port (l and through a sul'iplemental port p, communicating with vthe port d-and has attached to its lower end a valve q, which is seated in a passage between the port p and an inlet-'port o', with which a pipe S from the pump A communicates. The port 1) .communicates by a passage t, controlled by a hand-valve L, with a pipe u', leading back to the supply-tank C. A spiral spring u surrounds the plunger K, and is confined between its lower iiangcd end and the cross-head J. The stem o is made sufciently small so as to not close or interfere with the.

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ports d p, and the valve q may be a checkvalve held down to its seat by the stem 0. The spring u may be provided with any suitable tension-regulating device. The ports 7c, and (l are connected by a small passage w.

Vhen the apparatus is not in use, the valves j and L may be open and all the others should be closed.

M and N,Fig. l, are the steam-supply pipes for the pumps, and they are provided, preferably, With reducing-valves O, which I have illustrated as of the well-known Mason type, whose particular construction forms no part of my invention; or any other suitable means for limiting the pressure of the pumps may be employed, such as safety-valves in the liquid part of the pump; or where powerpumps are used governors for regulating their speed may be used and controlled bythe resistance.

The pump A is a high-pressure pump adjusted, tor illustration of the operation of the apparatus, to a constant duty, say, ot' four thousand pounds, while the pump B is a lowpressure pump adj usted, for illustration ot the operation, to a duty, for instance, that cannot exceed seven hundred pounds. The tension of the spring u is sufficient to overcome a pressure of four thousand pounds exerted on the under side of the valve q, combined with a pressure of slightly less than seven hundred pounds exerted on the plunger K through the nozzle n. The accumulator F is about two-thirds iilled with oil or other pressure fluid, and the tank C is also supplied with oil.

Supposing that the material in the press is oil-meal, cotton, or linseed applied in layers in the usual way, and the operation of expressing the oil is ready to be begun for the first time, steam is admitted to both pumps. The pipe S of the pump A being closed by its valve q atapressure of the spring it, which cannot be overcome by the pressure from the pump A acting on the under side of the valve q alone, said pump remains stationary, while the pump B begins pumping from the tank C into the accumulator F, gradually filling said accumulator and compressing the air therein until an indicator' P shows the internal pressure to be seven hundred pounds. rlhis point being reached, the pump B stops, because, as before explained, it is so adjusted ,that it cannot overcome a greater resistance. The attendant now closes the Valves L and j and opens the Valve g. The oil at once rushes through the pipe b, port c, and passage f, lifts the check-valve e, and passes 'on through the port d and pipe ZJ into the press-cylinder D and raises the platen rapidly, but with a pressure constantly decreasing, as hereinafter explained, so that by the time working contact is made the pressure is only just sufficient to express the free and easily-expressed oil without bursting the bags and squeezing out the meal, and the further gradual increase of pressure is so regulated pressure in the accumulator decreases, however, the pump B begins to work again and gradually restores the pressure to about that degree, so that after the short time in which the press exerts only a slight pressure on the meal it begins to increase until it gradually reaches a degree ot' nearly seven hundred pounds, whereupon the oil which has passed through the passage w and nozzle n, aided by that under pressure from the pump A, exerted on the valve q through the pipe S and port r, overcomes the resistance ot' the spring u and lifts the plunger K, thereby opening the valve q and permitting the inflow of oil from the pump A through the ports r, p, and d at a pressure at or quickly increasing to four thousand pounds. This sudden increase of back-pressure at once closes the check e, and the press with its now condensed meal continues to work at a pressure of four thousand pounds, the valve q being held open by this high pressure exerted on the plunger K through the passage w, port k, and nozzle n. After the check-valve e is closed the pump B continues to work, as before described, until a pressure of seven hundred pounds has been re-established in the accumulator, when it again stops, though the pump A continues its work. Then the oil is entirely expressed, the attendant closes the valve g and opens 'the valves] and L, whereupon the oil in the plunger K and nozzle n at once escapes with that in the port k through the pipe m to the tank C, and the valve q is thereupon instantly closed by its spring u, the oil in the presscylinder simultaneously escaping through the ports d p t and pipe u to the tank C. The press may beat once filled with fresh meal and restarted, for after the first operation the accumulator F is always charged, as before explained. ln this wayl can control the action of the press and get the best results, no matter how unskilled the attendant may be, for there can be no overpressure given at first, which might burst the bags and squeeze out the meal, but, on the contrary, the action ot the press is at first rapid, with a decreasing low pressure until working contact is made, after which the pressure steadily and gradually increases as the meal is condensed and the surplus oil expressed, and it is then automatically put under the maximum pressure.

In Fig. 2 I have shown another form of variable accumulator, where Q is a cylinder with a packed piston R, having at its top a cross- IOS ITO

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head S,With pendent arms T, carrying at their bottom the const-ant Weights U, above which are arranged a series of piclu p Weights V IV. The liquid enters from the pump B through the pipe a and discharges into the port c through the pipe b. As the piston Ris raised, thc resistance is first increased by picking up the Weight V, and finally increased to the maximum by pickin g up the Wei ghts \V,where upon the pump B stops. Upon opening the valve g the liquid escapes to the press, first with the maximum pressure of the accumulator, and then with a decreasing pressure, as the pick-up weights are arrested by any suitable stops, as the shoulders c', as will be readily understood.

Instead of the pick up weights, springs might be applied to the piston R in a manner to exert a maximum pressure thereon when it is elevated, which pressure would decrease as the piston descends and the tension ot the springs is released.'

Vhile the above-described appara-tus affords a suitable and practical means for carrying out my improved process, my invention is not limited to such an apparatus. Again, even if the general construction and arrangement of the apparatus I have illustrated be employed, yet many modifications may be made in it without departing` from its general character, and in another application covering said apparatus and filed simultaneously herewith I have illustrated and described some of said modifications.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings forms the subject-matter of a separate appli-A cation filed December 24, 1888, Serial No.

294,47 9, and no claim thereto is made in this application.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claiml. rlhe hereiirdescribed process of actuating hydrostatic presses, consisting in applying first a rapid but decreasing pressure, and then gradually increasing the same from a low-pressure source, and finally admitting a maximum pressure from an independent high-pressure source.

2. The herein-described process of actuating hydrostatic presses, consisting` in applying first a rapid but decreasing pressure, and then gradually increasing the same from a variable accumulator supplied from a lowpressure source, and finally admitting a maximum pressure from an independent highpressure source.

3. In the art of expressing oil from oleaginous substances in hydrostatic presses, the herein-described process of actuating such presses, consisting in applying first .a rapid but decreasing pressure to force the platen of the press `into Working contact with the substance to be pressed, then exertingalight but gradually-increasing pressure While the surplus oil is being rapidly expressed, all of said pressures coming from a low-pressure source, and then applying to the press a maXimum pressure from an independent highpressure source, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN H. VAILE.

/Vitnesses: Y

W. C. JIRDINsToN, CHARLES BILLoN. 

